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Elections Videos

This video explains how Tennessee students should conduct voter registration drives on college campuses across the state. It is produced by the Tennessee Secretary of State's office and the Division of Elections.

Unofficial election results from the Nov. 8, 2016, general election are now available. Each of the state's 95 counties must submit official results to the Division of Elections by Monday, Nov. 28. Results must be certified by the local county election commission before being submitted to the division.

The Division of Elections would like to remind Tennesseans how to make voting in the Nov. 8 general election go as smoothly as possible. Many voters are expected Tuesday even after a record-breaking 1,675,679 people voted early in person or by mail ahead of Election Day.

Tennesseans showed up in strong numbers to vote early for the Nov. 8 general election. A record-breaking 1,675,679 people voted early or cast absentee ballots across the Volunteer State's 95 counties from Oct. 19 through Nov. 3. That turnout easily beat the record set during the 2008 presidential election when 1,579,960 Tennesseans voted early in person or by mail.

Early voting for the Nov. 8 general election is now underway. Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins are encouraging Tennesseans to take advantage of this opportunity to avoid lines on Election Day. Voting will continue Mondays through Saturdays and end Thursday, Nov. 3.

The Division of Elections is headed by the Coordinator of Elections, Mark Goins, who oversees the election process in the State of Tennessee. The Coordinator of Elections works directly with ninety-five (95) local county election commissions, candidates and the public on election related issues. The county election commissions are appointed by the State Election Commission. There are ninety-five (95) county election commission offices throughout the State.

The State Election Commission is composed of seven members, four from the political party holding a majority of seats in the General Assembly and three from the minority party. These individuals are elected for a term of four years. This is the only commission in Tennessee state government which is elected wholly by the General Assembly.

To be eligible to serve on the State Election Commission one must be at least 25 years old, a resident of this state for at least seven years, and a resident of the grand division of the state from which one seeks election for at least four years preceding the election. No more than any two members may be from the same grand division of the state.

The State Election Commission is responsible for appointing five county election commissioners for every county in the state. This is done on the first Monday in April in every odd-numbered year. After making such appointments, the state commissioners then monitor the activities and performance of the county election commissioners and shall remove a county election commissioner for violation of the oath of office or if that person is no longer qualified to hold the position.

Candidates for statewide offices qualify by filing their candidate petitions with the commission, and the commission must pass on the correctness and propriety of such petitions. The commission works very closely with the coordinator of elections toward the common goal of maintaining uniformity in elections as well as preserving the purity of the ballot.

Members of the State Election Commission are:

Donna Barrett, Murfreesboro;

Judy Blackburn, Morristown;

Greg Duckett, Memphis;

Mike McDonald, Portland;

Jimmy Wallace, Jackson;

Tom Wheeler, Clinton;

Kent Younce, La Follette.

Please address all correspondence for the State Election Commission to the Division of Elections: